


Fire

by huggs5



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-17
Updated: 2013-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-23 19:30:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/930229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huggs5/pseuds/huggs5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the drabbles I wrote while exploring Carlos' character, this one about his tendency to try and make everything okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fire

I don’t know about that Carlos, is what I want to say. I also want to pull him back from the fire before it starts licking up his calves and enveloping him completely but I can’t. I can’t move. Frozen to the spot by an invisible monster called terror, called horror, called useless and pathetic that wraps its icy fingers around my throat until I can’t breathe. Carlos takes a step further into the flames.  
“I have to save them,” he repeats.  
I can’t get words out.  
“I can’t leave them there to die.”  
Of course, perfect, kind, thoughtful, caring Carlos would think to save the feral dogs he’s so desperately tried to retrain. Perfect, kind, thoughtful, caring Carlos would risk his mortal life to save a pack of aggressive dogs because he thinks he can change them and make them understand that there’s more to life than eating the citizens of Night Vale and harassing the sign posts. But I don’t want to report his “death” again, citizens of Night Vale. I can’t.  
Suddenly, the icy fingers disappear from my throat and as though pushed forward, I lunge for Carlos’ hand and drag him out of the flames. He doesn’t look at me. He stands motionless, shoulders slumped, fingers trembling. His silhouette shudders. I realize, in my selfishness, I’ve taken lives- albeit inhuman, dastardly lives- but lives nonetheless. Carlos turns to face me, his perfect face painted the color of darkness with remorse and anger. Nothing passes through his eyes, they’re empty. I feel uneasy and a little nauseas.  
“Carlos-”  
“I don’t… know why I put my faith in them, Cecil. I believed they would be good if I was good to them… why didn’t they become good, Cecil?” childish and innocent and naïve Carlos, face whitewashed with the inability to understand that some things are just meant to be falls into my arms and buries his nose in my collarbones.  
I see the wreck and ruin of the house that stood a half an hour prior and wonder how long it will be until the whole of Night Vale is up in flames.


End file.
